The bereaved parents of a 26-year-old Treasury worker are asking questions about her manager after she took her own life last year.

Chloe Moffat died by suicide on May 20, 2025, one day after an anonymous complaint was made about her.

Moffat, who worked as a personal assistant in the government department, had an ‘exemplary record’, an inquest heard earlier this month, and was in line for a promotion after receiving a bonus for her work.

However, following a meeting about the complaint, Moffat became ‘distressed’ upon learning she had been accused of sharing sensitive information about her colleagues.

She had not been informed in advance what the meeting would be about, nor was she reassured that it was ‘unlikely’ she’d lose her job of three years or permitted to have a friend or colleague present for support.

A coroner then ruled that the Treasury had ‘materially contributed’ to Moffat’s death by failing to follow its own HR protocols.

Grieving parents Anne and David have since spoken out, wanting to know why their daughter was ‘ambushed’ by her manager over ‘office gossip’.

They said Moffat assumed the meeting she was called in for on May 19 would be a routine chat with her line manager.

Instead, she was also met by a senior manager who informed her of the allegations, which involved discussing salaries, a co-worker’s new job, and a relationship between two members of staff.

The civil servant was locked out of her emails shortly after and instructed not to discuss the matter with her colleagues.

Her mother, Anne, told The Times of the accusations: ‘When her line manager heard them, she said they didn’t sound like the Chloe she knew. 

‘So why ambush her with a meeting like this without checking if they were vexatious, unfounded or simply not true?’

Husband David added: ‘After her death, when we were trying to work out how bad the complaints had been for a meeting like this to be called that led to Chloe taking the drastic action she did, we finally saw the allegations and thought, “Was that it?”‘

After the meeting, Moffat called her mum, a former head of care at a children’s hospice, who was in France at the time. During the call, she made it known that she believed she would be losing her job.

The politics graduate also messaged a friend that day, writing, ‘I am going to be fired.’ She later met the friend and ‘broke down crying’.

That night, Moffat travelled to her family home in Godalming, Surrey, where she and her dad discussed plans to visit Oxford at the weekend.

But the next morning, property director David found his daughter dead, the medical cause of which was determined to be suicide.

Assistant coroner Anna Crawford said Moffat’s state of mind and anxiety over being fired likely contributed to the decision she made to take her life.

Her father echoed this, saying his daughter thought her life had been ‘destroyed’.

It is unlikely that Moffat would have ever been dismissed over the claims.

Now, Anne and David want ‘redress’, but they are unsure whether they will take further action.

The Treasury previously said it was considering the coroner’s findings ‘carefully’ and not contesting.

It has said new measures have been implemented to better support colleagues’ wellbeing when accused of misconduct.

Additionally, a Prevention of Future Deaths report by the coroner has been sent to the Treasury and Dame Antonia Romeo, head of the civil service.

A Treasury spokesperson has said their ‘deepest sympathies’ continue to be with Moffat’s friends and families as the department ‘continues to mourn our colleague’.

‘We will learn the lessons from this tragedy. We are working urgently to respond to the coroner’s findings, and we have introduced immediate changes to our guidance, support, and wellbeing arrangements.

‘Chloe’s parents have agreed to meet with us so we can hear their views and update on actions the department is taking.’

MORE: Dad of Treasury worker who took her own life speaks out about ‘unbearable loss’

MORE: Treasury worker, 26, killed herself one day after anonymous complaint

Charlotte Dodd, a beloved mum-of-two, was killed by Matthew DuPlessis after a day out in Blackpool

A man who admitted causing the death of his then girlfriend by careless driving has been jailed, but her family claim they still don’t know the full truth.

Police said Matthew DuPlessis, 35, ‘concocted’ a story to ‘cover up that he was responsible’ for the death of mum-of-two Charlotte Dodd, also 35.

He claimed she had been dancing in the road after they had a night out and was struck by a dark-coloured vehicle in a hit and run smash. DuPlessis was initially treated as a witness and allowed to leave the scene on Padgbury Lane, Congleton, Cheshire, on September 23, 2023.

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But an officer from a serious collision unit who attended the scene later recognised his name and that he drove a small white van like one found parked nearby.

Police went on to arrest him on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing a roadside drug screening test. DuPlessis pleaded guilty in 2024 to driving with excess cocaine in his body and was banned for three years, but the investigation into Charlotte’s death continued.

Police said it emerged DuPlessis and Charlotte had been to Blackpool during the day, but neighbours heard them arguing that night. They left at 1.30am and drove around Congleton in DuPlessis’ van as they continued to argue.

In a statement, Cheshire Police said: “It was then, on Padgbury Lane, that Charlotte left the van as it was still moving. Charlotte struck the carriageway and was fatally injured.”

DuPlessis, from Richard Darrock Way in Crewe, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday (August 28) to be sentenced after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving whilst unfit through drugs and perverting the course of justice at an earlier hearing. He was jailed for nine years and three months.

Det Chief Insp Dave Hutcheon, of the Major Investigation Team, said: “DuPlessis told multiple witnesses at the scene including his own parents, members of the public, paramedics and police at the scene that he and Charlotte were walking along Padgbury Lane having been out drinking and that Charlotte was dancing in the carriageway.

“He said that when his back was turned to wee in a bush, a dark coloured vehicle struck Charlotte and fled the scene. We launched a fail to stop investigation at the scene, and the defendant was treated as a witness and later allowed to leave with his parents.

“It hasn’t been determined how Charlotte came to leave the van. The defendant overshot the junction causing him to perform an emergency stop. He then reversed and parked his van on Arnside Avenue and went to Charlotte. He then concocted his story to cover up that he was responsible for her death.

“His lies were caught out by the roads policing officer and the detailed forensic analysis of his movements led to him having no option but to plead guilty.

“His actions tragically led to Charlotte’s death and changed her family’s life forever. Our hearts go out to them as they navigate the rest of their lives trying to cope with the devastating loss of someone they loved very much.”

Following the sentencing hearing, Charlotte’s family said: “Today marks the end of a three-year journey through a police investigation and legal process that has changed our family lives forever. Throughout this period, we have quietly lived through the turmoil, the uncertainty and the heartbreak surrounding the circumstances of Charlotte’s death.

“We have each carried an indescribable pain of losing our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and friend, whilst also watching her two young girls try to come to terms with losing their mummy. Due to the lies and deception by one person from the very beginning, thereby perverting the course of justice, we still do not know the full truth of what really happened to Charlotte.

“There are no witnesses. There are some questions that remain unanswered, and we will have to live with those questions for the rest of our lives.”

She’s never been one to shy away from the spotlight… 

And Katie Price made sure all eyes were on her as she took to the stage for a special performance at Manchester Pride on Friday.

The former glamour model, 48, worked the crowd as she performed in a very racy cut-out neon leotard. 

Emphasising her surgically enhanced figure, she squeezed into the plunging one piece, which she paired with fishnet tights and black ankle boots. 

Performing her hit I Got U to the cheering crowd, the star also treated fans to a cover of Bryan Adams’ Heaven and the 1991 house classic Finally by CeCe Peniston. 

She told the audience: ‘I’m a real person, I’m not a product. I’m just like all of us here. We all have our ups and downs.’ 

Heading to the venue earlier in the night, Katie was seen puffing on a vape and looked in great spirits as she flashed her wedding ring while walking with her companions. 

Performing her hit I Got U to the cheering crowd, the star also treated fans to a cover of Bryan Adams’ Heaven and the 1991 house classic Finally by CeCe Peniston

Her voluminous raven tresses were worn poker straight while she coated her face in a thick layer of make-up for the glam occasion. 

Katie’s less-than-lowkey outing comes soon after she shared a cryptic post about being ‘hurt’ and ‘difficult times’ amid her ongoing marital drama with husband Lee Andrews.

Since tying the knot with the controversial business leader in January following a whirlwind romance, Katie’s marriage has been plagued with drama including Lee’s prison stints, kidnapping, his various lies and accusations of scamming his exes.

And while Katie has publicly continued to support him, with the former glamour model recently pictured wearing her wedding ring, it appears things have taken their toll on her as she declared that she had ‘survived’ difficult times. 

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Katie shared a snap of a model reading a newspaper, with the words on the paper reading: ‘My side of the story doesn’t matter anymore. 

‘Life happened, it hurt, I healed, but most importantly, I learned who deserves a seat at my table and who will never sit at it again.’

She then tellingly wrote the words ‘I survived’ over another quote which stated: ‘I will never, ever forget who helped me in difficult times, who put me in difficult times, and who left me in difficult times.’

And while Katie didn’t specify who or what she was referring to, her words suggested all was not well in her personal life. 

The former glamour model, 48, made sure all eyes were on her as she wowed in a very racy cut-out neon leotard

Showcasing her surgically enhanced assets, she squeezed into the plunging one piece which she paired with fishnet tights and black ankle boots

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She told the audience: ‘I’m a real person, I’m not a product. I’m just like all of us here. We all have our ups and downs.=’

The star encouraged the crowd to sing along as she held the microphone out to them 

Katie got members of the crowd involved as she held hands with a man on stage

Katie looked in great spirits despite recently sharing a cryptic post about being ‘hurt’ and ‘difficult times’ amid her ongoing marital drama with husband Lee Andrews 

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She was also seen vaping as she blew a cloud of vapor out her mouth 

She drank her coke and was fanned as she tried to cool down in the Canal Street venue 

One fan looked overwhelmed as he stood beside the former glamour model 

The pair sang together as they celebrated Pride 

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It comes as it is thought Katie’s husband Lee, 43, continues to remain in jail, despite reports he was released last month.

The conman business leader was said to have been released in July following his second spell in Dubai’s Al Awir prison after being hit with fraud claims.

Now, it has been claimed that Lee was never released, with sources reporting his fellow inmates are ‘fed up with his constant lies’.

The Sun alleges that Lee has been telling his inmates his exit paperwork is ‘sorted’ each week, but as each new week comes he remains in prison.

Meanwhile, Katie appears to be sticking by her husband as she put her wedding ring back on in an Instagram selfie recently.

The TV personality also flashed her ‘Owned By Lee’ tattoo while posing in a barely-there bikini. 

Katie previously vowed to hold her husband to account for ‘hurting other people’. 

In her podcast, Katie said: ‘In fact, I’m going to get Ben [the producer of Katie’s podcast] to interview him and Ben is going to delve in deep and I want to hear everything and it’s too much and I don’t like people hurting people.

‘That’s all I’m saying on it, I’ve not put anything up online, so you’ve heard it here for the first time.’

Police are advising motorists of several temporary traffic management measures in place around the Leeds Festival site at Bramham Park near Wetherby until Monday, August 31.

The A64 is closed eastbound, from Leeds heading to York, from Kiddal Lane End to the A1(M) at junction 44 for York and Tadcaster.

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Traffic is expected to be slow on local roads between Shadwell, Scarcroft, and Thorner will also face closures at various times until about 3pm on Monday, August 31.

The restrictions are expected to remain in place throughout the festival period.

The measures will include temporary speed restrictions and clearways on roads surrounding the festival site.

Tom Ogden of The Blossoms performing on the Grid stage during the Leeds Festival at Bramham Park yesterday (Friday, August 28) (Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis / PA Wire)

The aim of these restrictions is to improve road safety, reduce congestion, and ensure the safe movement of the tens of thousands of people expected to attend the event, police said.

To support these measures, speed camera enforcement vans will be operating throughout the festival.

Drivers should be aware that enforcement activity will be carried out across the affected routes, and any offences detected may lead to prosecution.

Superintendent Dan Wood of West Yorkshire Police said earlier this week: “Leeds Festival is one of the largest events in West Yorkshire and attracts a significant increase in traffic to the local road network.

“The temporary speed restrictions and clearways are being introduced to help keep everyone safe, including festival-goers, local residents, and road users.”

Festivalgoers during a performance by The Blossoms on the Grid stage during the Leeds Festival at Bramham Park yesterday (Friday, August 28) (Image: Annabel Lee-Ellis / PA Wire)

Dedicated routes will direct different categories of visitors to the correct locations, including camping entrances, day/non-camping ticket parking areas, drop-off and pick-up points, and staff and authorised vehicle access routes.

Motorists who depend only on sat nav directions may be misled to unsuitable routes, causing unnecessary delays for themselves and other road users.

In addition to road disruptions, train services between York, Selby, and Leeds will also be affected due to an engineering project during the festival period.

From today until Monday, August 31, buses will replace trains between Selby and York, Leeds, and Micklefield, and between York and Moorthorpe.

The disruption is due to an £800,000 upgrade to Brotherton Bridge, near Knottingley, which has carried trains across the River Aire since the mid-19th century and will undergo essential engineering work over the bank holiday weekend.

The project, which is part of a broader package of works in the area, will also include 1.4km of track renewal at Sherburn-in-Elmet.

The improvements will affect some Northern and TransPennine Express services, with buses replacing trains between Selby and York, Leeds, and Micklefield, as well as between York and Moorthorpe.

Kirk Douglas left his and his late wife Anne’s estate – including their impressive art collection, Oscar statuettes and film memorabilia – to son Michael Douglas and other members of their family.

The Hollywood legend known for leading roles in Spartacus, Lust for Life and Paths of Glory died aged 103 in February 2020. His widow Anne, Michael Douglas’s stepmother, died the following year aged 102.

According to TMZ, the trust executed by Kirk and Anne set out which family members would inherit parts of their considerable estate.

Kirk Douglas had four children – Michael, Eric, Joel and Peter Douglas. His grandchildren were apparently also named as beneficiaries in his will. Eric died in 2004 of an accidental overdose, aged 46.

Michael, who has starred in films including Wall Street, Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct, reportedly received several artworks including 19 lithographs by the artist Marc Chagall, titled The Bible series.

Meanwhile, Joel is said to have been given the honorary Oscar that Kirk was given by Steven Spielberg in 1996 for his half-century’s work in the film industry.

Michael’s wife of 25 years, Welsh actor Catherine Zeta-Jones, reportedly received “The Friendship Bench” made by the late sculptor John Kennedy.

Born in 1931, the late artist is known for his graceful bronze figures that can be found in a number of parks and campuses around the world. His sculpture Spirit of Audrey, dedicated to Hollywood film star Audrey Hepburn, is located at the Unicef headquarters in New York City.

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Kirk Douglas was one of Kennedy’s most notable collectors, along with German-Swiss socialite and art collector Gunter Sachs, Swiss industrialist Baron Thyssen, and philanthropist couple Jim and Jackie Lee Houston.

The Independent has contacted Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones’s representatives for comment.

Other items handed out to various grandchildren reportedly included Kirk’s Medal of Freedom, awarded to him in 1981 by President Carter, his 1983 Jefferson Award, and jewelry that belonged to Anne.

Shortly after Kirk’s death, it was reported that Kirk left the majority of his $61m fortune to be distributed by the Douglas Foundation – the charitable organisation he and Anne founded in 1964 with the goal of “helping those who cannot help themselves”.

Announcing his father’s passing, Michael acknowledged his status to the public as “a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for us all to aspire to”.

He continued: “But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchildren their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.”

“Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet.”

Earlier this year, Michael Douglas announced that he was preparing to release a memoir in 2026.

“After being asked for many years, I’ve finally decided it’s time to tell my story on my own terms,” the actor said in a statement in February

“Not the highlight reel, not the version shaped by headlines or box office numbers, but the real one. I’ve lived a life that unfolded in public while being deeply private at the same time, and there’s a difference.

“This is about where I came from, what I fought against, and what I chose for myself. Fame can blur the truth; this is my attempt to bring it back into focus.”

This is the second thunderstorm warning for Cambridgeshire this week

Parts of Cambridgeshire could experience more thunderstorms this weekend. The Met Office has issued another yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in parts of Cambridgeshire today (Saturday, August 29).

The warning began at midday and is set to last until 9pm. Areas affected include Peterborough, Ely, Huntingdon and part of Cambridge.

A Met Office spokesperson said that while most places will “miss the worst”, some areas may experience “heavy thundery showers”, resulting in disruption.

The Met Office added: “An area of heavy showers and thunderstorms will move across this region during the afternoon and early evening, affecting areas in the west first and moving progressively east towards evening with drier weather following.

“Some places could see 15-25 mm of rain in an hour, and 30 mm in two to three hours, with hail and lightning additional hazards.”

There is a good chance that driving conditions will be affected by spraying water or standing water, resulting in longer journey times. Some areas are also at risk of flooding.

Train services could also be disrupted and people may experience power cuts. This is the second thunderstorm warning to hit Cambridgeshire this week.

Brandon Fox, 15, from the Yarm area, was last seen leaving the shop at Teesside Retail Park on Thursday, August 27 at around 5.30pm.

Brandon is described as a white male, 5ft 8” tall, blue eyes, of slim build with blonde, curly hair which is short on the sides.

He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and shorts and black Nike 95 Cortez trainers with yellow writing.

Anyone who may have seen Brandon, or may know of his whereabouts, is asked to contact Cleveland Police as a matter of urgency on 101, quoting reference number 172884

This roundup of The Conversation’s environment coverage was first published in our award-winning weekly climate action newsletter, Imagine.

At school, I was told by my teachers I wasn’t allowed to take art A-level alongside biology and chemistry. I’ve always regretted listening to them. The crossover between the arts and sciences fascinates me. The space where creative thinking mixes with rational logic to problem solve in fresh and innovative ways. Many researchers agree that this is where the magic lies.

Here at The Conversation, I love finding new ways to communicate the climate story on a daily basis with expert insight from academics at the forefront of scientific discovery. So I was delighted to discover that others agree and spend their time researching these interdisciplinary connections – finding unusual ways to convey facts or interactive ways to engage communities and inspire action beyond the traditional, often dry, approaches.

In 2025, I started working closely with my colleague, Anna Walker, the brilliant senior arts editor at the UK edition of The Conversation. We have developed our climate storytelling strand of content and together we launched The Conversation’s Climate Poetry Award 2026, open to all academics based in the UK and Ireland. Entries close on September 1 2026 (11.59pm BST).

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 50,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

So what makes a climate poem?

As poet Sam Illingworth, a professor at Edinburgh Napier University, explains, “poetry has a profound ability to help reframe global issues, taking obscure concepts and couching them in language that is both intimate and familiar”. Poetry can help personalise the problem and reimagine solutions.

And that is possible in just 17 syllables if you write a haiku, a form of poetry that originated in Japan in the 17th century. As Illingworth explains, every haiku, by definition, is about nature and carries a kigo, a single seasonal reference: a flower, a fruit, an animal, a festival that fixes the poem in one season.

The best haikus have a kireji, a cutting word or punctuation that pivots the poem. “That final ingredient, the turn, is the reason the haiku is so well suited to climate,” writes Illingworth. “A haiku builds a scene and then breaks it. Things are one way, and then they are another. Climate change has exactly that shape, which means the form itself can carry the science.”

A shift can happen in a moment – without degrees or decades. And just as the turn can focus on climate collapse, so too can it highlight recovery.

The essence of seasons

Jasmin Kirkbride at the University of East Anglia and Paul Chambers at the University of Bristol have been analysing how English-language haiku reflect the changing climate over the past 30 years.

“Haiku are about intense moments of perception,” they describe. While flying insect populations have crashed and habitats have been lost, the frequency of heatwaves, floods and other extreme weather have all increased.

“Yet, these changes emerge in a strange fashion,” write Kirkbride and Chambers. “It’s hard to write about nature’s losses, and writers tend to do so unconsciously. Rather than tracking population declines in concrete terms, then, the language used around certain species has altered, becoming soaked in grief.”

They also noticed fewer mentions of curlews or butterflies in haiku, and out-of-place seasonal signs such as snowdrops in December rather than February.

Climate is a communication challenge

In poetry, speculation might help us make sense of what it means to live with an uncertain climate future, according to Heena Dave, a research fellow at the University of Stirling.

“Scientific knowledge might give us the foundations for understanding what futures are possible, but speculation provides a means to explore possible futures,” writes Dave, who argues that poetry gives us a language to express what living through those futures might mean. “The power of poetry lies in making us pay attention to a sound, a place, an object or something changing around us.”

Dave works closely with school leaders as they explore their hopes, worries and uncertainties about climate change through the process of writing speculative poems. She has found that writing poems helps them process their complex emotions, memories and fears. “School leaders can then consider what might be demanded of their leadership as climate change increasingly affects their schools, communities, children and young people.”

So try jumping a decade ahead. Imagine how something everyday and ordinary might fare in a climate-changed world, start with what you notice and tune into your senses. Your words might surprise you.

A poem with atmospheric powers

One poem has had a particularly direct effect on greenhouse gas emissions.

For three years, In Praise of Air by Simon Armitage hung on an exterior wall above the busy A57 in Sheffield, UK, as part of a collaborative project with physical chemistry professor Tony Ryan. This poem was printed on a 20m-tall banner coated in titanium dioxide.

“When light shines on this photocatalyst, the electrons in the material are rearranged and become more reactive. They break the oxygen in the air apart to make two oxygen free radicals,” explains Joanna Gavins, a professor in English language and literature at the University of Sheffield. “In turn, these react with water to make peroxide, which oxidises pollutants in the atmosphere, making harmless molecules that can be washed away.” In those three years, the poem removed around two tonnes of nitrogen oxide – the toxic gas emitted in exhaust fumes which causes lung disease – from the surrounding environment.

In need of more inspiration? Check out some of our favourite climate poems and watch Sam Illingworth’s climate poetry masterclass.

You can enter your climate poem online here. Shortlisted entries will be published in an ebook by The Conversation UK in the autumn. The winner will be hosted for five days at the Little Goat Barn Writing Retreat, in the peaceful and beautiful countryside of the Vale of Conwy in North Wales courtesy of The Ruppin Agency.